Review: 10 Reasons Why the HTC Thunderbolt is Better than the iPhone 4

I picked up my first Android phone a couple of weeks ago after using iPhones for almost four years. I still count my iPhone 4 as my primary mobile phone, but Android is definitely growing on me. Below are the top 10 things I love about my ThunderBolt and why I’m using my Android phone a lot more than I’d planned.

Voice calls are more reliable on the HTC Thunderbolt, but I’ll leave call quality out of this piece since you can pick up an iPhone 4 with Verizon or AT&T these days.

For some background- I bought the original iPhone on launch day back in 2007. I upgraded to the 3G, 3GS and iPhone 4 as soon as each was launched. Before that, I was a Palm Treo user.

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The Thunderbolt is making my iPhone 4 look like it’s stuck back in 2007 in a lot of ways.

Verizon 4G LTE

The HTC Thunderbolt is the first 4G LTE from Verizon and it’s amazing. I live in San Francisco, which is well-covered by Verizon’s 3G and 4G network. The phone is almost always on the 4G network when I’m in San Francisco or Silicon Valley.

Verizon is providing a couple of months of free 4G LTE hotspot access, which I’m taking full advantage of. My ThunderBolt has fully replaced my 3G Novatel MiFi, which I recently gave up. Browsing the web on my notebooks feels just like using most moderate public WiFi networks. In fact it’s so fast that I don’t bother connecting the Thunderbolt to my home network on home.

Yeah, I know that Verizon’s 4G LTE network doesn’t cover everyone and it isn’t clogged with users yet, but this is one hell of a starting point.

Keyboard Options

The iPhone’s keyboard and text entry hasn’t changed all that much since the original iPhone was introduced. Before I really started using the Thunderbolt, I didn’t think too much of it. Why fix what’s not broken? But after using Swype and actually getting a choice of keyboards, I’m turning to the Thunderbolt for writing and editing on the go.

My favorite Android keyboard so far is FlexT9 from Nuance. This keyboard allows me to type by speaking, drawing, tracing or tapping. The voice method is by far the most useful and it works in any text-entry field. Voice apps on iOS, including Nuance’s, are pretty lame by comparison.

Here’s a cheesy video from Nuance that demos FlexT9. I haven’t scribbled text very often, but it brings back fond memories of Graffiti on my Palm Pilots of yesteryear.

It is far easier for me to write and edit text on the Thunderbolt than my iPhone, which means I pull out the Thunderbolt and fire up the WordPress app whenever I need to blog or edit on the go.

Android Web Browser

It is truly refreshing to be able to visit any website and see it in its full flory after using the iPhone’s Flash-less Safari browser for so long. Instead of having to fire up one of my notebooks while I’m on the go, I can finally my phone to get stuff done. Browsing the web on an Android device still isn’t as good as using a Mac or PC browser, but it’s far better than using an iPhone.

Another thing I like about the Android browser is that I can customize it in a meaningful way. I can force sites to open in their full versions or mobile versions. Image, text and Javascript preferences can all be adjusted by tapping the menu button while browsing. There’s no need to switch to the Settings app, which is necessary when changing almost any preference on iOS.

Here’s a Side By Side HTC Thunderbolt vs. iPhone Browser Comparison from Wirefly:

Both iOS and Android have alternative browsers, but Android wins out thanks to Flash. The Adobe technology may drain battery life, but it’s a compromise I’m willing to make.

Sensible Notifications

The iPhone’s notification system is broken. Alerts from apps pop up with the same urgency as all the others, which means I end up turning notifications/alerts off on most apps on my iPhone. The problem is that every iOS notification looks and acts exactly the same, whether it’s an appointment that’s coming up in a few minutes (urgent in my book) or the verdict on some celebrity’s legal battle (not urgent in my book).

On my Thunderbolt, alerts that matter are shoved to the front and routine notifications barely make a beep. This system is a lot more intelligent and I love the fact that I’m actually able to review recent notifications. On iOS devices, they seem to disappear to quickly, which is a problem if you have several stacked up. On the Thunderbolt I can sort through notifications as time allows and discrete icons at the top of the screen gives me an idea of what notifications are waiting for my attention.

Android Notification Drawer

The appointments notification on the Thunderbolt displays a nice calendar symbol and the pertinent meeting info. It just works better than on the iPhone.

It Has Four Buttons!

I’ve gotten used to the iPhone’s single button on its face. When I first started using my Thunderbolt it felt like there were too many options. Now I’m right at home with the Home, Menu, Back and Search buttons. By far the most useful button for me is the back button. It might sound simple, but I can’t count the number of times I use it every day.

The iPhone’s home button does do tricks if you tap twice or hold it down, but it feels archaic compared to the Thunderbolt’s four buttons.

GMail

Gmail works like a charm on the Thunderbolt. It’s not perfect, but it’s miles ahead of the iOS mail client. I can actually use many of the most important Gmail features on the Thunderbolt, which means I can read, sort and write more efficiently on the go. It might sound like a small detail, but the ability to easily mark a message as unread is a godsend to my workflow. I can actually use Priority Inbox, stars, labels and a bunch of other stuff that I’m used to when using my MacBook to access Gmail.

The iOS Mail app feels stale compared to the Gmail app for Android. Apple needs to get to work in the mobile email department.

Home Screen

By default, the Thunderbolt comes with a theme that shows the date, time, location and weather conditions. There are animated clouds and rain when the weather changes. The home screen is customizable and just feels alive, like somewhere I should periodically check in.

The iPhone’s home screen hasn’t changed all that much since I bought my first iPhone. Sure, I can now stack apps into folders and I can switch between apps with a double tap of the home button, but things are looking stale after using the Thunderbolt for three weeks.

Navigation and Maps

My Thunderbolt has a perfectly serviceable Navigation app out of the box. That’s a welcome treat after going so long with Apple’s map program. Truth be told, I don’t rely too much on smartphone navigation apps unless I’m traveling since my car has a built-in GPS unit, but I have had to pay for iOS navigation apps while on the road. Trying to navigate with the built-in iOS Maps app is painful, if not dangerous.

Thunderbolt Display

This one’s a toss up, but at times I really do prefer the Thunderbolt’s big old display. The Thunderbolt’s display measures 4.3″ diagonally, which is significantly larger than the iPhone 4’s 3.5″ display. Colors don’t pop off the Thunderbolt’s display as well as the iPhone 4’s Retina display. But sometimes size really does matter, like when I’m trying to read text on the screen or view a map. I’m all for high-res displays, but it’s nice to let my eyes relax a bit. At times, it feels like I’m reading on a super small tablet rather than a giant smartphone.

Built In Kickstand

The HTC Thunderbolt’s built-in kickstand might look and sound like a gimmick, but I’ve found myself peeking at the Thunderbolt more often than my iPhone while I’m at my desk. Why? For the simple fact that the kickstand makes it easier to keep it in sight.

I usually keep my iPhone 4 in a Mophie Juice Pack Air, which means I can’t keep it in a standard iPhone dock when seated at my desk.

The Thunderbolt’s kickstand allows the phone to sit in either landscape or portrait mode, but it’s not perfect. When it’s in the closed position, the kickstand actually muffles the speaker’s sound. This isn’t a problem except for when you’re listening to music or other multimedia content with the kickstand in tight up against the back of the Thunderbolt.

Conclusion

While there’s a lot I like about the Thunderbolt and the Android experience, there’s a lot that I don’t like. There are a lot of reasons why the iPhone 4 is still my primary phone. While I use both quite a bit everyday, when I only bring one phone out with me, I choose my iPhone. That may change in the future, but old habits die hard. For any Apple fanboys that take offense to this article – stay tuned. I’ll share why the 10 reasons why I’m keeping my iPhone 4 and probably buying the iPhone 5 in a follow up article.

Xavier Lanier is the publisher of Gotta Be Mobile and a photographer. He uses too many devices to count, but his current favorites are the iPhone 6 Plus, Nikon D800 and Sony RX 100M II. You can follow him on Twitter and Google+.

When will people understand Geeks are cool, Nerds are not. Apple users are Nerds who think they are cool. Worst of both worlds. Welcome to Android – wait till you can actually USE the phone – including custom roms etc.

My cousin has the iPhone as well as one of my best friends. I also work at the Verizon store. iPhones are great phones. Honestly, it’s definitely leading in one of the best, and WAS the best phone until the ThunderBolt and the Bionic were mentioned. I’m skeptical about the Bionic because it’s made by Motorola. People try to love it and stay loyal but Motorola doesn’t live up to its name as it used to, especially in the Android phones. HTC has been known to be the leading phone companies with HTC Incredible and Evo.

Now, objectively, I have to say the iPhone 4 is the 2nd best phone out in the market. Evo I won’t exactly include because it runs on Sprint; and not to offend Sprint users but it doesn’t live up to par with AT&T and Verizon.

The ThunderBolt, which is the phone I have, is amazing. It really is the most innovative phone out on the market as well as the most capable. The screen display is amazing. My 4G connectivity is significantly faster than my own Internet service in my computer. There are many flaws but they aren’t big. It loads things at incredible speed. While the screen is large and the phone heavier than it looks, you grow to get used to it and it becomes THE phone to have. With the Android system, you can customize your phone to be exactly the way you want it to be. If the customization isn’t enough for you, you can always get new themes. The Market provides great free apps that I love much more than Apple iPhone’s app market. Google Maps is SO much better than the iPhone maps. I saw the iPhone maps the 1st time and I was in awe. The ThunderBolt brought me to a new level of awe.

Here are the flaws for the ThunderBolt, to which most people know already;
-The charge port is on the bottom when you use the kickstand. So if you want to charge while watching a video, you might get irritated.
-The kickstand DOES muffle the sound but it’s still better than most phones.
-If you want a small, sleek phone; TB will be of slight annoyance.
-The date/time/current location home screen tab is slightly unresponsive. For instance, if I drive to Pearl River NY from Englewood NJ, it’ll stay as Englewood and won’t switch to Pearl River unless I restart the phone or disconnect from service and redo it again.
-Verizon made a big deal about video chat through skype and netflix movie streaming capabilities; well the TB has been out for almost a month and it doesn’t have either features yet. It’s a minor flaw but a flaw nontheless. It will come out with it.

These are minor flaws honestly. I’m having trouble listing all the problems. Sure, in some ways the iPhone 4 is still better (mostly battery life) and when the iPhone 5 comes out it will definitely be a great competition against the TB. However, in terms of capability, easy usage, and quality of the phones; the ThunderBolt takes the cake EASILY.

Another great way to compare iPhones and TB is this. The iPhone 4 32GB is $299 with an upgrade. Insurance is expensive and the deductible to get a replacement if your phone breaks is $180. The TB that comes with 8GB internal memory and 32GB SD card makes it 40GB total. It costs $249 which is a good $50 less. Insurance is cheaper and the deductible also extremely cheap compared to the iPhone. The data package is the same but the TB will deliver 4G LTE network. This is slightly unfair seeing as how TB is the 1st Verizon 4G phone and the iPhone isn’t. But look at the prices. Then look at what each phone is capable of. At the moment, due to the prices and still the high demand of iPhones; I can tell iPhones are one of those overpriced and overglorified phones. This is an objective view of it. You know how you pay $8 bucks for a meal at Burger King for fake food? Well you can pay $7.50 for 2 fresh and juicy burgers with a load of fries, veggies, AND a drink from Peggy’s Grillhouse. That’s what the iPhone is. McDonalds or Burger King of phones.

Don’t get me wrong though, once you get to the high-end smartphones; you will realize that it’s more of a matter of preference as opposed to what is better… At the Verizon store I work at, the iPhone 16GB is still the #1 in demand while the ThunderBolt is actually just about #3 or #4 phone in most demand.

I recently purchased a Thunderbolt and have problem with it’s battery spending.for example I fully charged it last night and did not use it till morning but in the morning battery was less than half full.is it the way it is or there is something wrong with mine?

i often get 15+ hours on my stock Tbolt, and thats moderate useage of phone calls, web surfing, the music player, and videos. (and games)…When i first got it i was unable to get more than 4 hours, even without moderate/heavy use…You really have to do some research and learn how to manage your phone to get optimum performance out of it. I went back to Verizon and was told “thats just the way it is, we recommend you purchase our $50 extended battery, but you wont be able to use the $25 case you bought anymore” so they may just be trying to get you to spend a little more, but its unnecessary.

Here are a few tips:
*turn your screen brightness down as low as you can stand (im at 30% indoors, full brightness outdoors)
*turn off vibration feedback (this kills your battery especially if you text a lot)
*go to accounts and sync, and disable any apps that automatically update themselves, except maybe your google acct.
*DO NOT OPEN BLOCKBUSTER APP, that bloatware is going to kill your battery dead within hours of unplugging it from a charger. You cant remove it, but you can stop it from running if you go into “applications” if you have already opened it.
*Do not use a task killer, it apparently is worse for your battery, i don’t use one, and like i said i easily get 15+ hours on a full charge…if ii am not browsing the web or playing games, i could get 24+ hours.
*Turn off LIVE wallpapers, they’re cool, but consume battery power while you are at the home screen (which may not be long for many, so keep it if you really, really want to.)

Also if your streaming videos, or using mobile hotspot be sure to be plugged in, otherwise you’ll be dead in the water after 3-4 hours.

i probably forgot something, but just doing what i have mentioned should improve your batteries lifespan considerably

I agree – Android and Thunderbolt make the smartphone feel like a tablet. I came from Blackberry OS with a Storm 2, and the experience is night and day better on he Thunderbolt. I also use my iPad daily, but I’m finding I use it less now that I have he Thunderbolt. I installed Green Power to save battery life, added the extended battery, and loaded ADW launcher – now my phone lasts all day and into he night with frequent use, and the home screens look and behave exactly as I want them to, down to the 5 apps I choose in the drawer.

I’m considering buying a Thunderbolt today: Coming from the Palm Treo and glad I’m finally upgrading (my “new-every-two” has been ready to go since 2009-yes, I waited a 3 1/2 years to upgrade. If Verizon would have had the iPhone first, I may have fallen into that ‘trap.’ Ha! Actually, I love my iPod Touch, but just see that going to an Android is a better choice, and I like the larger screen. I just hope I don’t need to find a seamstress to help me to reinforce my pockets due to the extra ‘cargo’ weight of the phone!)

Thanks for the helpful information on the phone battery life, too. That has been one of my worries….

Do it. I love my Thunderbolt, and Android is so seamlessly integrated with Google mail/voice/calendar/contacts that it’s just a joy to use compared to BlackBerry OS. If you use any of Google’s communication products already, you’ll love the integration. My friend came from the Treo to the Pre, and now has the HTC Evo on Sprint, which is basically the Thunderbolt’s older brother from a different mother. He loves the Evo and Android, and doesn’t miss Palm OS. The best part: all the apps. Seriously, it’s glorious moving into the app availability limelight.

Thanks for your comments. My Blackberry Curve died yesterday (second time in less than 1.5 years) (JUM error 102–this sounds bad). I went to the Verizon store and looked at the HTC Thunderbolt, iPhone 4 and Droid PRO. I liked the hybrid keyboard of the Droid PRO, but browsing was a little slow. The sales guy really liked the Thunderbolt for its “flexibility.” Battery life and reliability are very important to me. After that, ease of email (data entry) and good phone (since it is a phone, right). I’ve been agonizing over the choice of phone. The iPhone’s virtual keypad appeared better to me than the Thunderbolt. However, I’ll use voice data entry a lot, and probably download Swype. For battery life, I’ll install Green Power right away. So, I think the Thunderbolt wins now, and I now have some confidence that the Thunderbolt will meet my needs. My one lingering concern is that will it “freeze” more than the iPhone?

Dlhpatent: I have had zero freezes in the month I’ve had it, assuming that by freeze you mean frozen screens of death that require a battery pull. I’m using a launcher and lots of other apps all the time, too, and it’s running like a boss. My BB Storm 2 by comparison would freeze and require a battery pull at least once a day. Maybe once a week the Tbolt seems to get confused for about 5 seconds and show me a black screen as I switch apps, but after 5 secs it picks right back up like nothing happened with no further trouble.

I haven’t had the iPhone so I can’t compare there. I like the iPad’s onscreen keyword more than the Tbolt’s, but it’s huge too so that’s probably part of the difference. If I was going to sit down and write a blog post I’d probably use my iPad, but for email and chat and social media and most other daily activity the Tbolt keyword is fine. Wasn’t impressed with Swype on Tbolt, it wasn’t stable and kept crashing.

So in conclusion, I’m happy as a fricking clam with the personalization ability & web surfing and interaction with Google apps like Gmail and Gcal. I haven’t pulled my iPad out in a week because my Tbolt does everything I need instantly and portably — and I used to use my iPad approx 4 hours a day.

it’s simple the iphone was revelutionary in 2007, but as in most things something else caught up to it or in this case surpassed it. It’s still a great phone, but the android OS flows better in my opinion. As you mentioned the previous, or back button as you referred to it, is a simple but huge difference difference maker. I find myself constantly looking, wishing they had one everytime I use the iphone.

I can see why a lot of people might like the Android OS better than iPhone. I can assure you I don’t buy the phone to “look” cool, but I simply like the simplicity, which I’m a moron when it comes to utilizing the full potential of any of my electronics, so the iPhone works well for me. I just want a good picture, and since I’m with AT&T, 4G isn’t going to help me anyway. The screen makes my live and recorded TV from my DISH Network employee Sling adapter look great and it works faster than my old iPhone 3 which I like. I considered switching for flash but I realized that I don’t use it and I’m happy since I just watch TV anyway.

There are also ten reasons why the iPhone 4 could be better than the Thunderbolt, BUT FIRST AND FOREMOST, this article is here to EXPLORE reasons why the Thunderbolt is better than the iPhone 4. It does not necessarily mean that the Thunderbolt is better than the iPhone 4 on the whole. You should always look at a phone which you believe best fits your needs. There is no need to bash and flame a writer when he/she gives the other side of the story.

I like the Thunderbolt (I have a Droid Incredible–almost a year now–awesome phone) and wanted to take the plunge…but I didn’t. The main reason is that the 4G LTE network won’t roll out for another 6 mo. to a year in my area, so I would get no noticable increase in speed. Then there is no Skype video chat to rival Apple’s Facetime (which is awesome by the way) and baaaad battery life. SO, I’ll wait for the LTE network to come on line at which time HTC will have produced something like the “Thunderbolt 2″. It will have a 1.2 Ghz processor (so faster..along with the 4G), Skype and Netflix will be functioning, have Gingerbread or later, and the processor will be dual core which will help battery life immensely. It will be something more like what T-Mobile just launched, the HTC Sensation 4G, but better. Patience will pay off.

I just bought the HTC under the impression that Skype was going to be added next month, that’s what the sales rep. Told me. Wow Idk if I want to keep this phone now. And the speaker phone doesn’t work that well. Hmmm I have a decision to make. Any suggestions?

I just got the TB and love the speed and 4G Hot Spot. I’m having problems with texting though. When I text, my return number is the wrong one and they can’t return the message. All my recipients have my correct number…It is just when I switched phones….Any help here

i phone i have this phone has charge 7am by 10 am half way gone. Stupid. Other than the battery its a very nice phone , but still i should have got the iphone. Flash player, camera speed are great but goodluck using it with no battery

I have antiquated Blackberry Storm. Hate it. Ready to make a change. Calendar is important to me & I text a lot. Thinking about IPhone 4 or Thunderbolt. Battery life is important. Is Green Power an app? What is ADW Launch and how will it help with battery life.

I would love my Thunderbolt if it would stop erasing my text messages and contacts constantly. Verizon won’t do anything for me. Really disappointed. Now they have me for 2 years. Miss my iPhone and AT&T’s coverage.

Ok, I’ve read all these comments and I have to tell you I’m still just as confused and frustrated with a cell phone buying decision as I was when I started reading this! You guys ALL make great points with excellent reading. If the TB had a good battery It would be a no brainer. But I currently have the Droid Incredible and I have to say the battery life IS incredible. It doesn’t make much sense to have a nice phone and then turn everything useful down or off to make the battery last a couple of hours longer. I’m lost….

I am wondering why you would have more than one phone. Do you have, like, lots of phone numbers, and you carry multiple phones around? I have one phone number and am considering the Thunderbolt or the iPhone. The guy at my phone store says to get the Thunderbolt b/c of the superfast 4GLTE. Thank you for your article, and if anyone can tell me why you’d have more than one phone, please do because I’m curious.

The Android phones are getting too big to make up for their crappy display resolutions, im sorry but I like the size of my iphone, i don’t like carrying a 10″ screen around in my pocket.. or belt clip, and kick stand? is your phone really THAT heavy that you need a kickstand?

The iPhone may end up being far behind the rest most of the time, but when they come out with the new OS they always blow all the others out of the water

oh and PS: have fun with your battery life depleting before you can even watch half a movie

I am thinking of getting the HTC Thunderbolt when my contract is through, but what I want to know is, is this phone capable of typing in other languages? I need to be able to type in Japanese and that’s why I was thinking of getting the iPhone, but if the HTC Thunderbolt has this capability then I will likely get it instead.

iPhone does have flash player but not that many ppl know about it I use it all time! The maps looks like a rip off of the iPhone standard map which has street level view with walking motion so I see know difference there the only thing the tb has over the iPhone is speed I do give it that But I’m not getting rid of my phone for that

It’s plan to see. Apple leads,,, everone eles fowls. HTC is a fowler. the thunderbolt just came out and they compare it to a older model iPhone 4. WOW. What loser’s. Compare it to the iPhone 4s. What happen. I don’t hear HTC now???? Check the stocks and u will see who’s in the lead and who’s not. That’s r BOBBY…… Grow up.

okay Mclockout, your a retard and a troll. The HTC T’Bolt and iPhone 4 came out nearly around the same time, so why compare the HTC tbolt to the iPhone 4s? your such a retard, plus, the HTC tbolt would be better than the iphone 4s anyway, apple sucks. they do the same thing eveytime they drop a new phone. HTC is way better, i got an extended battery for my htc tbolt and its flawless.